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Snickers pledges to give away 1 million candy bars if the date of Halloween is changed

Should Halloween always be on the last Saturday in October? Big candy brands say yes!
By Kerry Breen

If the day of the week Halloween falls on each year has never really mattered to you before, it might this year — especially if you really, really like free candy and can't go trick-or-treating.

A petition to change the date of Halloween has picked up over 100,000 signatures. This week, it also earned the support of some of the country's most popular candy brands, including Snickers, Skittles and Starbursts.

In 2018, The Halloween & Costume Association started a Change.org petition asking the federal government to move Halloween to the last Saturday in October. The reason? Holding the holiday on a weekend would make for a "Safer, Long, Stress-Free celebration!"

This year, October 31 falls on a Thursday.

On Friday evening, the official Twitter account for Snickers shared the petition with its 340,000-plus followers. The brand also vowed to give out a million free Snickers bars if the government changes the holiday to the last Saturday of October.

“Snickers is all in on celebrating Halloween to the fullest," said Josh Olken, the brand director for Snickers, in a press release email to TODAY. "More hours in the day. More families being able to enjoy it. A more satisfying celebration. So if the Federal Government makes this thing official, we’re offering up to one million free Snickers to America. No tricks, only treats … we’re serious!"

Soon, other candies (which, like Snickers, are also owned by Mars) started sharing Snickers' tweet, while also encouraging followers to sign the petition.

"Petition the rainbow, taste the rainbow," wrote Skittles, playing off the colorful candy's famous tagline.

The official M&M's account called an annual Saturday Halloween the way "it should be." Twix followed suit saying they'd signed it twice — one for each little bar in a package, we presume. And Starburst also got in on the action.

Many parents and teachers who signed the petition say that moving the holiday to a weekend would make it safer for kids, as well as make it easier to plan events around the candy-fueled holiday.

So far, there's been no response from the federal government but come October, definitely Google the latest to make sure you don't miss the real Halloween.

Kerry Breen

Kerry Breen is a reporter and associate editor for TODAY.com, where she reports on health news, pop culture and more. She holds a master’s degree in journalism from New York University.